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Sesame Chicken will quickly become one of your go to dinner ideas. It is a delicious, quick and easy dinner.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
Family Favorite.I have been sharing recipes with you since the fall of 2007! That is a lot of recipes. As a food blogger I am always trying new recipes and sometimes some of our family favorites get pushed aside in the name of recipe research. Sesame Chicken is definitely one of those family favorites and has been a favorite at our house for years!!
When my kids were home, this recipe would make the dinner rotation at least once or twice a month. It’s better than Chinese takeout.
Pantry Friendly. One of the reasons this recipe is so great is that it doesn’t require a lot of ingredients. It is perfect for those nights when you haven’t planned ahead and you have no idea what is for dinner. As long as you have some chicken on hand you probably have everything you need. Fresh green onions are nice but not necessary.
Amazing Flavor. The secret to this chicken is in the sauce. The sauce is a combination of sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, chicken broth, and sesame oil.
Ingredients Needed
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
- Sugar
- White Wine Vinegar, rice vinegar or White Vinegar
- Chicken Broth or Cooking Wine
- Soy Sauce
- Sesame Oil
- Sesame Seeds
- Green Onion, for garnish
How to make Sesame Chicken
- Cut up chicken into thin, 1 inch bite size pieces.
- Heat frying pan and add oil.
- Add chicken and stir fry for until cooked through, about 3-4 minutes.
- Remove chicken fom pan.
- Combine sugar, vinegar, wine or broth, soy sauce, sesame oil in the pan.
- Bring sauce to a boil and cook, stirring frequently, until it thickens and becomes sticky, about 10-15 minutes. You want it to be thick enough to coat a spoon.
- Add chicken to sauce and toss to mix well. After tossing the chicken and sauce together, you can continue cooking the dish for 2-3 more minutes over low heat if desired. This will make for a less saucy dish, but will make the sauce into a delicious sticky coating on the chicken. I like to have it a bit saucy so the sauce flavors the rice I serve it over.
- Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds
Pair This With:
- White Rice
- Brown RIce
- Fried Rice
- Yakisoba Noodles
Tips from leigh Anne
- Use a large pan so that there is a lot of surface area, the sauce will cook quicker this way. If you use a smaller pan just be patient!
- The sauce is the star of the show and gives the dish an amazing flavor. Watch it carefully when you cook it, as it can burn easily.
- If you double the sauce it will take longer to cook. You may want to cook the two batches separately to speed up the process as doubling it can take 15-20 minutes for the sauce to thicken.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts?
Yes, you can use skinless, boneless chicken thighs.
Can I add vegetables into sesame chicken?
The addition of vegetables would be great. After you cook the chicken, remove it from the pan. Add in your cut up vegetables (broccoli, carrots, celery, onion, etc) and stir fry with some additional vegetable oil, canola oil or olive oil. Once they are cooked tender remove from skillet and cook sauce. Add chicken and vegetables back into the pan with the sauce before serving.
How do I store leftover sesame chicken?
Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Can I make this in a slow cooker?
If you prefer to make this in the slow cooker, use this recipe.
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Sesame Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. skinless boneless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup white vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. cooking wine or chicken broth
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp. sesame oil
- 2 Tbsp. sliced green onion optional
- Sesame seeds to sprinkle on top
- 1-2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
Instructions
- Thinly slice chicken breasts diagonally
- Put 2 Tbsp. oil in frying pan.
- Add chicken and stir fry for 3-4 minutes or until just cooked through.
- Remove from pan and keep warm.
- Stir together sugar, vinegar, wine or broth, soy sauce, sesame oil.
- Bring to a boil and cook until sauce thickens and becomes sticky (this could take 10-15 minutes). Watch the sauce as it can burn easily.
- Add chicken to sauce and mix well.
- Serve over rice.
- Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds
- Serves 2-4 (depending on how hungry they are!)
Tips & Notes:
- Use a large pan so that there is a lot of surface area, the sauce will cook quicker this way. If you use a smaller pan just be patient!
- The sauce is the star of the show and gives the dish an amazing flavor. Watch it carefully when you cook it, as it can burn easily.
- If you double the sauce it will take longer to cook. You may want to cook the two batches separately to speed up the process as doubling it can take 15-20 minutes for the sauce to thicken.
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Nutrition Facts:
CATHY says
Made this and loved it. Only issue I had was getting the sauce to thicken as much as I was expecting. However, the family loved the flavor of the sauce.
Thanks for the recipe!
Kina says
Definitely gonna try!
Shannon S. says
I made this for our dinner tonight and we all loved it! I’m curious since I doubled the sauce recipe would it take longer than the 10-15 minutes?
Leigh Anne says
Shannon, When I double the sauce it does take a bit longer to cook. The size of your pan really effects it too and how deep the liquid is in the pan. If I use a bigger frying pan it will cook faster.
Vi Troesh says
Where did you buy the flat whisk you are using in this recipe?
Leigh Anne says
Vi – It was a gift and I love it!!!
Donna Bateman says
So glad I saw just before making my menu this week. Definitely having this! YUM! We, too, have a child who is gluten intolerant and this recipe is PERFECT for him and for the whole family, too! Thanks, Leanne!